People v. Unander

936 N.E.2d 795
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in People v. Unander. Read the opinion of the Court — 404 Ill. App. 3d 884
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided October 26, 2010·No. 4-09-0411·Published

Opinion

936 N.E.2d 795 (2010)

The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Antoine T. UNANDER, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 4-09-0411.

Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District.

September 28, 2010.
As Modified on Denial of Rehearing October 26, 2010.

*796 Michael J. Pelletier, State Appellate Defender, Gary R. Peterson, Deputy Defender, Molly C. Dickason, Asst. Appellate Defender, Office of State Appellate Defender, Springfield, for Antoine T. Unander.

Julia Rietz, Champaign County State's Attorney, Urbana, Patrick Delfino, Director, Robert J. Biderman, Deputy Director, Aimee Sipes Johnson, Staff Atty., State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, Springfield, for the People.

Justice POPE delivered the opinion of the court:

In October 2008, defendant, Antoine T. Unander, pleaded guilty to residential burglary (720 ILCS 5/19-3 (West 2008)). In January 2009, the trial court sentenced defendant to 15 years' imprisonment with 236 days' sentence credit and ordered him to pay all fines, fees, and costs.

Defendant appeals, arguing (1) the trial court erred in failing to apply defendant's presentence credit toward his $5 drug-court fee, (2) the $200 deoxyribonucleic-acid (DNA) assessment was improper, (3) the $10 Arrestee's Medical Costs Fund assessment was improper, and (4) the $20 Violent Crime Victims Assistance Fund assessment (VCVA) should be reduced to $4. We affirm as modified and remand with directions.

I. BACKGROUND

On May 20, 2008, the State charged defendant by information with residential burglary.

On October 29, 2008, defendant pleaded guilty to residential burglary. In exchange for defendant's plea, the State agreed not to charge him with additional conduct contained in the police reports and to cap its sentencing recommendation at 15 years' imprisonment.

On January 9, 2009, the trial court sentenced defendant to 15 years' imprisonment, with 236 days' sentence credit. The court also ordered the following:

"[Defendant] is to pay all fines, fees, and costs as authorized by statute. He is to receive a credit of any fine that is to be imposed for time served although I don't believe there is any here. If he has not already done so, he must submit a specimen of blood, saliva, or tissue to the Illinois Department of State Police in accordance with the statute for DNA sampling and then he would be required to pay a $200 genetic[-] marker[-]grouping[-]analysis fee."

The supplement to the record contains a certified copy of defendant's fines, fees, and costs and shows, inter alia, a $200 DNA assessment, a $5 drug-court fee, a $10 Arrestee's Medical Costs Fund fee, and a $20 VCVA fee.

On January 16, 2009, defendant pro se filed a motion to reconsider sentence.

On May 19, 2009, defendant's trial counsel filed an amended motion to reconsider sentence, which the trial court denied.

This appeal followed.

II. ANALYSIS

On appeal, defendant argues (1) the trial court erred in omitting time-served credit against defendant's $5 drug-court fee, (2) the $200 DNA-analysis fee was improper where it had already been assessed in three of his prior cases, (3) the $10 Arrestee's Medical Costs Fund assessment was improper where no medical costs were incurred as a result of defendant's arrest, and (4) once the $200 DNA-analysis fee is vacated, the $20 VCVA assessment should be reduced to $4.

*797 A. $5-Per-Day Credit

Defendant argues, and the State concedes, defendant should receive monetary credit for time spent in custody against the $5 drug-court fee imposed by the trial court pursuant to section 5-1101(f)(2) of the Counties Code (55 ILCS 5/5-1101(f)(2) (West 2008)).

Section 110-14(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Procedure Code) provides the following:

"Any person incarcerated on a bailable offense who does not supply bail and against whom a fine is levied on conviction of such offense shall be allowed a credit of $5 for each day so incarcerated upon application of the defendant." 725 ILCS 5/110-14(a) (West 2008).

In this case, it is undisputed defendant was incarcerated 236 days on a bailable offense. As a result, defendant has $1,180 in available credit against fines. The State concedes the $5 drug-court "fee" is actually a fine because the record does not show it was sought to reimburse the State for any cost incurred as a result of prosecuting defendant. We accept the State's concession and agree.

The central characteristic separating a fee from a fine is how the attributes of the charge are to be used. See People v. Paige, 378 Ill.App.3d 95, 102, 316 Ill. Dec. 939, 880 N.E.2d 675, 682 (2007). "[A] `charge is a fee if and only if it is intended to reimburse the state for some cost incurred in [the] defendant's prosecution. [Citations.]'" Paige, 378 Ill.App.3d at 102, 316 Ill.Dec. 939, 880 N.E.2d at 682, quoting People v. Jones, 223 Ill.2d 569, 600, 308 Ill.Dec. 402, 861 N.E.2d 967, 986 (2006). The revenue from the charges imposed under section 5-1101(f)(2) are intended to be used "for the operation and administration of the drug court" (55 ILCS 5/5-1101(f) (West 2008)) and not to reimburse the State for costs incurred as a result of prosecuting defendant, who was not transferred to drug court. As a result, the $5 assessment is a fine. Because the assessment is a fine, defendant is entitled to apply his $1,180 available credit toward that assessment.

B. Analysis Fee

Defendant argues the $200 DNA-analysis fee (730 ILCS 5/5-4-3(j) (West 2008)) was improper because it had already been assessed in three of his prior cases. The State argues each time a defendant is convicted of a felony he must pay the $200 assessment even where he has previously surrendered a DNA sample.

During defendant's January 2009 sentencing hearing, the trial court ordered the following:

"If [defendant] has not already done so, he must submit a specimen of blood, saliva, or tissue to the Illinois Department of State Police in accordance with the statute for DNA sampling and then he would be required to pay a $200 genetic[-]marker[-]grouping[-]analysis fee." (Emphasis added.)

Defendant contends his presentence investigation report (PSI) shows he has previously been ordered to submit a DNA sample and to pay the $200 analysis fee in connection with three prior and unrelated felony cases.

In People v. Evangelista, 393 Ill.App.3d 395, 332 Ill.Dec. 356, 912 N.E.2d 1242 (2009), the Second District found the $200 DNA-analysis fee was improper where the defendant had already provided a DNA sample in conjunction with one of his prior convictions. Evangelista, 393 Ill.App.3d at 399, 332 Ill.Dec. 356, 912 N.E.2d at 1246. The court reasoned "the obvious purpose of the statute is to collect from a convicted defendant a DNA profile to be stored in a *798 database." Evangelista, 393 Ill.App.3d at 399, 332 Ill.Dec.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

People v. Unander, 936 N.E.2d 795 (Ill. Ct. App. 2010).

936 N.E.2d 795 (People v. Unander) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

People v. Evangelista
912 N.E.2d 1242 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2009)
People v. Jones
921 N.E.2d 768 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2009)
People v. Paige
880 N.E.2d 675 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2007)
People v. Jones
861 N.E.2d 967 (Illinois Supreme Court, 2006)
People v. Smith
479 N.E.2d 328 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1985)
People v. Cleveland
913 N.E.2d 646 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2009)
People v. Nicholls
374 N.E.2d 194 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1978)
People v. Elcock
919 N.E.2d 984 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2009)
People v. Winford
889 N.E.2d 1181 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2008)
People v. Marshall
931 N.E.2d 1271 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2010)
People v. Grayer
935 N.E.2d 518 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2010)
People v. Unander
936 N.E.2d 795 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2010)